An Elvis Post: Happy 70th Birthday

If that doesn't look quite like Elvis, you're right. It's Steve Davis and the TCB Band, performing last night at the Pageant in St. Louis. I took my 6th-grade son, Austin, to see the show, since I used to force-feed him Elvis music when he was younger. Besides, today would have been Elvis's 70th birthday, which seemed reason enough to get tickets.

Now Austin's favorite bands are My Chemical Romance, Blink 182, Gob, and Sum 41. But he knew most of the Elvis music anyway, and he said he liked the show. I'd say we both had more fun that we were anticipating. (If Alexis de Tocqueville were to return to America in modern times, he'd have to do at least a chapter on the enduring Cult of Elvis.)

Below the Fold: Pictures I took at Graceland in 1979, a few years after Elvis died. Plus a drawing Austin did of Elvis when he was four.

On Graceland in 1979, every stone on the wall surrounding Graceland bore notes like these:

Here's a wider shot. Graceland is barely visible at the top of the hill.

And here's Austin's drawing at age 4, back in the days when I used to sing him to sleep with Teddy Bear. The love he was professing was for his older sister, not for Elvis.

Comments

[David Giacalone]

Thanks for the nostalgia trip, Evan. I hope Austin hasn't hired an attorney yet to sue you for intentional infliction of emotional injury and invasion of privacy and copyrght.

Since so many of your readers may be too young to remember Teddy Bear, I'm providing the lyrics (by Mann-Low); also, click to get the guitar chord tablature. A great song to sing to a little sweetheart.

(words & music by mann-low)

(Let Me Be Your) TEDDY BEAR

Baby let me be,
Your lovin’ teddy bear
Put a chain around my neck,
And lead me anywhere
Oh let me be
Your teddy bear.

I don’t wanna be a tiger
Cause tigers play too rough
I don’t wanna be a lion
’cause lions ain’t the kind
You love enough.
Just wanna be, your teddy bear
Put a chain around my neck
And lead me anywhere
Oh let me be
Your teddy bear.

Baby let me be, around you every night
Run your fingers through my hair,
And cuddle me real tight

[Evan]

David: I received the appropriate permissions from Austin. As for being "too young to remember" Teddy Bear, speak for yourself: I'm way too young to remember it. Teddy Bear was released on 6/11/57; I was born in 1963. But the song is still played on the radio, and available on CDs -- I guess that's how I "remember" it.

[David Giacalone]

I was seven when it came out, Evan. I wonder how many of your readers listen to radio stations that play the song, or had parents who were wise enough to sing it to them.

[jk]

Elvis was a fat junkie

[Evan]

jk: Yeah, but you might want to dig a little deeper. I recommend Peter Guralnick's biography of Elvis. The first volume is titled The Last Train to Memphis; the second is titled Careless Love. Everyone will find something to like in those books--even fat junkies!

[JAMES ALTON RHEA]

HI I DIDN'T KNOW ELVIS BUT I WAS BORN IN 1979 AND I GROW UP LEARNING ABOUT HIM AND HIS GOOD MUSIC AND I WATCHED HIS MOVIES AND I THINK THE MAN IS A GOOD GUY I DONT KNOW IF HE FAKED HIS DEATH OR NOT BUT WERE HE DID DO IT OR NOT WE ALL SHOULD LET THE MAN REST OUT HIS DAY'S WHERE EVER HE IS I BEEN READING UP ON ABOUT PEOPLE ARE SAYING HE STILL AROUND AND PEOPLE SEEING HIM AT GRACELAND LET THE KING OF ROCKING ROLL REST I LOVE YOU ELVIS STILL LISTENING TO ALL YOUR MUSIC I LOVE IT THANK YOU MY GOD BLESS YOU SO I BEEN LISTENING TO HIM FROM AGE 5 AND NOW IM 26 YEARS OLD AND STILL LISTENING TO THE KING SO I HAVE MOVIES AND TAPES OF ELVIS AND ILL LISTEN TO THEM TIL THE DAY I DIE BECAUSE IF YOUR FEELING DOWN AND YOUR SAD I ALWAYS TURN TO HIS MUSIC TO FIND HAPPINESS AND I FEEL BETTER WELL THATS ALL I HALF TO SAY THANK YOU FOR MAKING A WEBSITE TO TALK ABOUT ELVIS

[GWD]

In order to be the king you have to:
1. Write at leat one of your own songs.
2. Remain in rock and roll for at least more than 5% of your career.
3. Don't do the equivalent of "lip syncing" on the guitar.
4. Don't offer to be J. Edgar Hoovers spy on teenagers.
5. Don't be manufactured by record companies.
As you can see.......Elvis does not qualify to be the King of Rok and Roll.
ELVIS SUCKS

[Kathy]

I remember the day they broke in the program on tv and announced elvis died,and it took me a long time to believe that he did drugs,but it would be understandable if he faked his death,and I wouldn't be surprised if he had plastic surgery,so he could walk down the street like us,and look just like one of us.